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On the day after the Pulse massacre, a prominent image for many Key Westers was that of the Rev. Steve Torrence and his husband John Hernandez leading an emotional group to the water’s edge. Pride was wrapping up on the island but for many, the party could wait. Torrence spoke a few words before his husband placed a wreath of soft white flowers into the waves. From AIDS patient advocate to Animal Shelter supporter to keeper of the peace, Torrence has been ministering to the whole community.

Jack Lee Jordan is a 23-year-old non-binary demiboi who identifies as black-latinx born and raised in Miami. Jordan uses they/them/their as their pronouns. They started doing activism work at the age of 13 to help medical professionals, teachers, social workers and most important of all, parents, accept their queer and trans children.

Jason Hagopian began his career as an architect at TSAO Design Group more than 20 years ago as a project coordinator. Now the managing principal of the group’s Miami office, he is responsible for establishing and growing the organization’s hospitality, private and public projects sectors.

Kishi Chad Martin, 29, has been a health promotion outreach educator for four years. He has spent the last six months of that time as a peer navigator at Care Resource, performing community outreach, condom distribution, internet outreach, linkage to services, PrEP navigation and working on the youth advisory board.

As the youth community organizer for SOUL Sisters Leadership Collective, Logan Meza plays an active role in mobilizing people while “providing safe, affirming and radical spaces in the efforts to achieve true liberation and equity for all folks of color.”

Even within the LGBT community, we tend to take things for granted. Local YouTube star Annie Segarra hopes to not only show us what we’re taking for granted, but also how we can help those who are less fortunate.

Growing up gay in a small conservative Texas town where gay role models were non-existent, Johnnie Mejia says having someone to look up to, to tell him that there was nothing bad about being gay, is something he wishes he had.

For more than 10 years, Jonathan Welsh, a University of Miami alumnus, has been actively engaged internationally and locally. In addition to serving in South Africa with the United States Peace Corps, he has campaigned for various environmental and health initiatives in Portland Oregon, Washington D.C and in Tallahassee. Jonathan is in charge of Marketing and Development with Care Resource.

Maria Dominguez has only left Miami to go to college, and that was to go to Florida State University in Tallahassee. Because of her longtime personal and professional history in South Florida, she’s been able to witness the changes in the LGBT community.